1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the general field of debit statements and negotiable instruments. In particular, the invention provides a new method and material for preparing negotiable checks by pressing and peeling a preprinted overlay on a conventional check.
2. Description of the Prior Art
People write checks on a regular basis for payment of bills received periodically from utilities and other service companies. In fact, in many instances the majority of the checks written by individuals are in response to computerized monthly statements automatically sent out by the entities with which the individual is doing business. Therefore, a check with the same hand-written information except for the date and the maker's signature must be prepared every month for each such business entity, necessitating considerable repetitive effort.
This invention is directed at minimizing such effort. Specifically, it seeks to provide a vehicle for including all the information required to prepare a negotiable instrument directly with the monthly statement, so that it can be used by the recipient while making the monthly payment by check. In addition to the convenience, this method would ensure that the proper payee, amount and account information are automatically entered on the check without possibility of mistake on the part of the maker.
Several patents exist covering methods and devices to achieve this goal. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,608,294 to Beman (1926), U.S. Pat. No. 2,247,222 to Dale (1941), U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,211 to Hieken et al. (1964), U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,724 to Gosnell (1974), U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,013 to Tagliaferri (1976), U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,814 to Cavender (1976), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,364 to Templet (1990). All of these patents disclose inventions designed to facilitate the transmission and protection of financial instruments and records by combining conventional financial paper with various labeling material.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,193 to McBride (1974) discloses a statement/check overlay combination that enables a maker to utilize a preprinted portion of the statement to prepare the check in negotiable form. The invention is intended for use in conjunction with regular billing in order to provide a customer with a ready-made printed form that contains all of the information required to write a check, except for the date and the signature. The printed material in the transparent overlay is formatted to fit in the right place over a conventional check blank, allowing the information on the check to be visible and leaving window spaces for a user to insert the date and signature. Thus, the maker only has to remove a protective layer of material from the adhesive back of the overlay, position it over the check and write in the date and signature through the open windows. The rest of the information is provided in the overlay by the issuer of the statement. The present invention is directed at further simplifying the process of preparing a check from a preprinted form furnished in conjunction with a billing statement by eliminating the necessity of pasting the overlay on the check and by simplifying the overlay's construction.